'Trump Is Absolutely Right...': EU Chief Ursula Von Der Leyen Says She Wants Europe To Stop Buying Russian Oil By...

(MENAFN- Live Mint) European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday that she wants Europe to stop purchasing oil from Russia by the end of this year, Reuters reported.“Trump is absolutely right. We're on it,” she said.

The EU chief's statement comes shortly after US President Donald Trump criticised the European Union in the UN General Assembly for keeping the Russian war effort against Ukraine alive by purchasing Russia's oil and natural gas.

“They have to immediately cease all energy purchases from Russia,” Trump said.“Otherwise we are all wasting a lot of time,” the New York Post reported.

EU reduces Russian oil imports

The European Union has already significantly reduced its energy dependency on Russia after Moscow's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. However, the bloc continues to rely on certain Russian supplies to meet its needs. The New York Post said in a news report that it also appears 'reluctant' to completely sever the flows.

Russia rivals Qatar as one of the largest exporters of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the EU after the United States. Other than LNG, Russia also exports a large amount of pipeline gas to the 27-member trade bloc, accounting for around 8 per cent of the EU's total gas imports in the second quarter of 2025, according to Eurostat data.

Trump's push

Trump has repeatedly targeted Europe for its Russian energy purchases, even though the EU has already banned importing petroleum products refined from Russian crude oil starting next year.

Bloomberg reported that European nations import diesel from India and Turkey, where Russian oil is refined into the fuel.

European Commission figures show that European countries' purchases of Russian crude oil account for only 3 per cent now, whereas before the war with Ukraine, EU imports of crude constituted about 27 per cent.

For the EU, cutting Russian oil imports and buying it by sea route would be more expensive, as Russian oil is sold at a discount. The most likely import route for the EU, which passes through Croatia, also lacks sufficient capacity, the NY Times said.

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